In last week’s post on Writing with Photographs, we talked about ways to look at photographs—how to systematically examine the photograph’s physical characteristics, inventory the image, listen for the story the picture has to tell and answer the basic who-what-where-when-why-how questions.
Now, let’s focus our attention on what to do with the information gleaned from…
What do you see in this title? A brief description of the writing process? Yes, but what else? All the words end in ing? Right. So, what?I love ing words. They often help create a rhythm and a cadence that is pleasing to my ear. They move my sentences merrily along in a babbling brook…
We had a great Write Your Life Story – The Basics workshop on Saturday where thirteen enthusiastic writers learned about organizing their work, generating story ideas, blocking out a story, revising, proofreading and much, much more.
One thing we touched on was how to come up with a good title for…
Thirteen members participated in the Write Your Life Story – The Basics workshop on Saturday, September 8th. Click here to see photographs of the event.
We began the day with a writing exercise everyone used to introduce themselves and talk more about what motivates them to put words to paper. Some said they write in hopes…
At the Amelia Island Genealogical Society a few weeks back, a woman mentioned the Smithsonian Institution’s Journey Stories exhibit traveling the United States. I looked into it and found that Florida was one of the tour’s early stops. The Gateway Center for the Arts in DeBary, Florida, is currently hosting the exhibit through October 13th.
This…
Last week Bob and I spent a few days at the beach in conjunction with a talk I gave to members of the Amelia Island Genealogical Society. (To view photos of this event, click here.) We relaxed and spent time with our good friend Liam, and by slowing down and experiencing a new place, I…
Hook 'em ... Your first sentence or two can make or break the story. It can entice your reader to keep going or convince him to go take a nap, so it’s important to put time and effort into constructing a great opening.
But, and this is a big but, work on your opening after you’ve…
All writers have blind spots. We have our pets—favorite words, clichés, overused phrases, excessive adverbs—that we read right over when reviewing our stories. So, what’s the big deal? I love the word just. I can use just over and over again, and it sounds just fine to me.
The problem is that the reader often trips…
Last week I attended a women’s luncheon in downtown Orlando and got to chatting with a lady about handwriting or longhand, as we used to call it. I thought of the long hours I spent in first and second grades, pencil in hand, putting marks on scratchy, lined paper. Then once the block letters were…
At the grocery store on Friday, I found a recipe for bean soup, picked up all the ingredients—ham, turkey sausage, onion pinto and white beans, bay leaves, chicken broth—and headed for home. I chopped the onion and followed the instructions provided by the expert Publix chefs, and violà…a tasty lunch treat for Bob and me.
That…